Electric steam iron



'y7, J. .T. EDWARDS ETAL v2,-1-99.911*

ELECTRiC swam IRON Filed-July 28, 1937 2 SIuQts-Sheet 2 INVENTORS I J.T. EDWARDS C. E DWA RDS ATTORNEY.

Patented May 7, 1940 UNITED S ATES PATENT OFFICE I I 2,190,911 ELECTRICsummon I Judson 1*. Edwards and Orewdson Edwards, sh 3 L Louis, Mo.,assignors of one-sixth tztollllem I mialrzlufinemiixthtoGratia T.D11I II FEB 1%;

Application July 28, 1937, Serial No. 158,087

.9Claims.

I .of water to the fabric being pressed in such a way-that the heatedbase of the iron will properly and efliciently press the fabric.

Another object 01' our invention is to construct an electric steam ironin which theupper part of '15 the water reservoir is made as an integralunit and the bottom thereof is made from the same material and soassociated and welded thereto that the reservoir will not leak andthereby impair its usefulness as a result of changes in temperaa0. tureto which the iron is subjected during its life.

Still another object of our invention is to produce an iron of the typereferred to which will be simple in construction, easy to assemble,eflicient in operation, and economical to manufacture.

These and other objects of our invention will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawingsxshowing a preferred embodiment, in which Figure 1 is alongitudinal cross-sectional view of an iron embodying our-invention;Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken' on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;Figure 3 is a top view of the base portion showing the heating elementin position; and Figure 4 is a bottom view of the base showing the steamconducting grooves therein.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral I indicates a basemember, and 2 the reservoir which is positioned above the base member.The

"o reservoir is formed in two pieces, preferably cast and of an alloy ofaluminum, the upper part 3 being one integral hollow pieceand the bottomplate 4 being of a shape to fit within the lower edges of the upperpart. The upper hollow part .top of the upper part 2 of the reservoir isalso post II which is bored out for receiving a belt I 2 whereby thebase member l'may be clamped to the bottom of the reservoir. I

The manner in which the reservoir is formed from two pieces of likematerial is a very important feature of our invention since it resultsin an electric steam pressing iron which will be absolutely leak-proofduring the entire life of the iron and which also facilitates theassembly of the parts which go into the reservoir and lends itself tothe construction of the iron as a whole at a very low cost. As alreadypointed out, the bottom plate I is of such shape as to snugly flt withthe lower edges of the upper part 3. The plate is also formed with ahole II for receiving the lower end of the post I I which is of suchlength as to extend substantially through the hole when the plate is inits proper position. The plate is welded to the upper part along theentire marginal seam, as indicated at I, thus permanently securingthetwoparts together and forming a joint which will not be aifected by anycontraction or expansion of the metal due to changes in temperature.Also, since the upper part of the reservoir and the plate are of thesame material, the expansion or contraction of the metal will not placeany strain on the joint which would tend to cause it to leak. The seam:between the hole i3 and the lower end of the post II is also welded asshown at 65.

The central top portion of the base manber I is formed with a shallowrecess l6 and the rear portion thereof is formed with'a deeper recess H.An electrical heating element l8 (Figure 3) is positioned in the shallowrecess it, this heating element being of well known construction andcomprising two core pieces is wrapped with reristance wire 20 andinterposed between two sheets of mica 2|. The wire is connected to twoinsulated straps 22 which extend into the rear recess H where they areattached to the bottom of contact posts 23 mounted in a flange 24 on therear of the upper part 3 of the reservoir. The contact posts are adaptedto project into a well known plug (not shown) which is carried on theend of an extension cord connected to the electrical outlet box. A thinsheet of steel or other suitable material 25 approximately one-sixteenthof an inch in thickness is interposed between the heating element andthe bottom plate 6 and acts as an insulator to prevent an excessiveamount of heat from being transmitted to the water in the reservoir andto also confine the major portion of the heat in the base member.

The front end of the base member is provided with a vertical bore orchamber 26 into which is snugly fitted the lower end of a steam tube 21.This tube extends through the bottom plate 4 into. the reservoir and toa point adjacent the top of the dome portion 5. The bottom plate at thepoint where the tube passes therethrough, is formed with a recess 28 inorder to provide space for a joint which comprises an enlarged annularnut 29 screwed into the plate and a second annular nut 30 screwed intothe nut 29 and engaging the tube. The cooperating threads of the twonutsare tapered in order to insure that the tube will be tightly engaged bythe nut 30 when screwed home and thus prevent any leakage.

The bottom surface of the base member is provided. with two open grooves3| and 32 (Figure 4) which extend from a point adjacent the bore or'chamber 26 rearwardly and at a spaced distance from the marginal edgeof the base member. The bottom surface is also provided with a shortopen groove 33 which extends from a point adjacent the bore or chamber26 forwardly to a point adjacent the front end of the base member. The

' ends of the grooves 3i and 32 are connected by short conduits 3d andas, respectively, to the bore 28 and the end of groove 33 is connectedto the bore by a short conduit it. All of these conduits are only at aslight angle to the bottom surface of the base and because ,of this thesteam from the steam tube will flow into the grooves in substantiallythe longitudinal direction of the grooves. This is another importantfeature of our invention as it enables the steam to be properly appliedto the fabricduring, pressing. The open grooves permit the steam to beapplied gen= orally and not in spots as is the case in prior deviceswhich employ channels and spaced outlet ports from the channels. Also,by using open rooves the steam, when applied to the fabric, will be orthe proper dampness, it not having been dried out by the passage throughany ports leading from the grooves. The use of the forwardiy extendinggroove 33 insures that steam will be applied to the tip of the baseportion as the iron moves forwardly, thus properly dampening the fabricfor ironing. The rearwardly extending open grooves 35 and 32 insure thatsteam will be applied to a greater amount to the fabric under the frontend of the base portion but will decrease gradually toward the rear andof the base portion, thus permitting the fabric to be prop erly dried bythe iron as it moves over the fabric.

In order to prevent the water in the reservoir from splashing about asthe iron is moved, we also provide a bafiie plate 3? preferably formedseparate from the upper part 2 of the reservoir. The bafiie plateinclines rearwardly and its upper end is notched to surround the upperend of post ii. The lower end is bent backwardly to form a yieldable endengageable with the bottom plate, whereby the bafile plate will beyieldably held in position when the bottom plate a is welded inposition. If required, a. second baiiie plate 38 may be employed in theposition shown, and held in this position by the upper end of the battleplate 3?. Tire bafii'e plate 38 is suitably notched to iit around thepost ii and the steam tube '21. Both bafie plates are so formed thatthere is sumcient space between them and the adjacent walls of the upperpart 3 to permit passage of steam.

From the foregoing it is clearly a parent that the iron is quicklyassembled by a minimum number ofoperations. The bailie plates 31 and 38(or just the baifle plate 31 if only one is employed) are placed in theupper part 3 and then the bottom plate I set within the lower edges ofthe upper part and welded along the entire seam up tightly. The heatingelement l8 and insulating plate 25 are then properly mounted on the basemember, the straps 22 connected to the contact posts, and the basesecured to the reservoir by bolt I2. The construction permits'easyremoval of the base to replace the-heating element in the event itshould become inoperative.

When. water isplaced in the reservoir and the heating element connectedto a source of elec-- tricity, steam will be generated and the basemember will become heated. The amount of steam generated will be justsuflicient to properly dampen the fabric for eflicient pressing by thebase portion which does not reach such a high temperature that thefabric will be scorched.

and around-the end of postll. Next, the steam. tube is inserted and thenuts 29 and 3D screwed be limited except as setforth in the appendedclaims.' I

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a pressing iron of the class described, a base member forperforming the pressing operation, a liquid-containing reservoir latedwith the base member, means for applying heat to thebase member and forgenerating steam from the liquid in the reservoir, the bottom surface ofsaid base member being provided with two grooves having downwardlydiverging wails and being open throughout their entire length to thematerial being pressed and'extendingrearwardly from the forward end ofthe base mom-=- ber and acent the marginal edges oi the and means forconducting steamfrom the reservoir to the forward ends of the grooves,said means comprising conduit means joining the ends of the grooves andso assocla with the grooves that said conduit means will guide the steaminto said grooves in a direction substan= tially the same as that inwhich the grooves ex= tend to thus distribute said ste onto the topsurface of thematerial being pressed.

2. Ina pressing iron of the class described, a base member'forperforming the preg operation, a IiQUid-QOBtESmRESGWOi? iated with thebase member, means for applying heat 7 to the base member andror'generat ste from the liquid in the reservoir, the bottom raceof saidbase member being provided with an open groove, the open side of whichis of a width not less than the width oi any other mrtion oi the groove,said groove extending reardiy from the forward end of the base member,and means for conducting steam from the reservoir to the forward end ofsaid groove, said means comprising a conduit joining the end'oi"thegroove and so associa with the groove that it will guide the etc intosaid ve in a #1.; e v

' tion'substantially the same as that in which the groove extends tothus distribute said steam onto the top surface of the material beingpressed. 3. In a pressing iron of the class described, a

base member for performing the pressing operation, a liquid-containingreservoir associated with the base member, means for applying heat tothe base member and for generating steam ward end of the base member andadjacent the marginal edges of the base, said bottom surface also beingprovided with an open groove extending forwardly from a point adjacentthe forward ends of the first named grooves, the open side of each ofsaid grooves being of a width not less than the width of any otherportion of the groove, and means for conducting steam from the reservoirto the forward ends of the first named grooves and the rear end of thesecond named groove, said means comprising conduits so associated withthe respective grooves that they will guide the steam into said groovesin a direction substantially the same as that in which ation, aliquid-containing reservoir associated with the base member, means forapplying heat to the base member and for generating steam from theliquid in the reservoir, the bottom surface of said base member beingprovided with an open groove extending rearwardly from the forward endof the base member, said bottom surface also being provided with an opengroove extending forwardly from a point adjacent the forward end of thefirst named groove, the open end' of each of said'grooves being of awidth not less than the width of any other portion of the groove, andmeans for conducting steam from-the reservoir to the forward end of thefirst named groove and the rear end of the second named groove, saidmeans comprising conduits so associated with the respective grooves thatthey will guidethe steam into said grooves in a direction substantiallythe same as that ,in which the grooves extend.

' 5. In a pressing iron of the class described, a single piece basemember having a shallow recess in its top, a reservoir positioned abovesaid base member and detachably" secured thereto, said reservoircomprising a hollow upper part .provided with an upwardly extendinghollow dome portion and a separate bottom plate of like materialpermanently secured to the base portion of the upper part along theentire marginal seam, a fiat electrical heating element positioned anddisposed so that the tube may be removed through the bottom plate, andconduit means in the base member and telescopically receiving the lowerend of the tube.

6. In a pressing iron of the class described, a base member, a reservoirpositioned above said base member and detachably secured thereto, saidreservoir comprising an integral hollow upper part provided with anupwardly extending hollow dome portion at its forward end and a.

separate bottom plate of like material permanently secured to the baseportion of the upper part along the entire marginal seam, the forwardwall of the reservoir and the forward wall of the dome portion being onesmooth continuous wall extending upwardly and readwardly, a heatingelement positioned between the base member and the bottom plate of thereservoir, said base member being provided with a chamber in the forwardend thereof, steam channels connected therewith and extending rearwardlytherefrom, a steam tube passing through the bottom plate of thereservoir and extending through the forward portion of the reservoir andinto .the dome portion from the bottom thereof, the lower end of saidtube extending into and communicating with the chamber in the basemember, and means for detachably securing the tube to the bottom plateand arranged and disposed so that it may be removed from the reservoirthrough a said bottom plate without detaching same.

7. In a pressing iron of the class described, a

base member, a leak-proof liquid reservoir posi-' tioned above, saidbase member, said reservoir comprising a hollow upper part having anintegral top and side walls and being provided with an upwardlyextending dome portion and a separate bottom plate, said bottom plateadapted to fit within the lower edges of the walls of the upper part toform with said lower edges a fiat surface for engagement with the basemember and being permanently secured to said upper part along 'theentire marginal seam, means for detachably clamping the base member tothe reservoir,an electrical heating element positioned means comprisinga tube passing through the bottom plate and extending through thereservoir and to a point adjacent the top of said dome base member, areservoir positioned above said base member and detachably securedthereto, said reservoir comprising a hollow upper part provided with anupwardly extending dome portion at its forward end, means forming steamchannels in the bottom of the base member for distributing the steam tothe fabric to be pressed, means for placing the upper part of the domeportion in communication with the steam channels, a separate baflleplate within the reservoir extending upwardly at an angle from theforward end of the bottom of the reservoir to a point adjacent the rearof the dome portion, a

second separate baille plate lying in a substantially horizontal planeand positioned at the juncbase member, a leak-proof liquid reservoirpositioned above said base member, said reservoir comprising a hollowupper part having integral top and side walls and a separate bottomplate permanently secured to said upper part along the ventire marginalseam, means for conducting steam from the upper part of. said reservoirto the tube to the bottom plate and permitting the the base member andcomprising a tube passing tube to be removed from the reservoir withoutthrough the bottom plate of the reservoir and detaching the bottomplatefrom the upper porextending through the reservoir to a point abovetion of said reservoir.

the liquid therein, and means accessible from the I exterior of thereservoir when the base member JUDSON EDWARDS- is detached therefrom forsecuring and sealing ON EDWARDS.

